2020 HG Vision: the year in review

2020 has brought more challenges in supporting mothers than ever before. Many mothers with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) have been unable to get emergency room care and evaluations or see their medical professionals as often as necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the need for our assistance, support, and resources is greater than ever.

Daily, we receive requests for support on the crisis line, case consultation form, and email, and multiple mothers receive daily support through our social media accounts. We support tens of thousands of women personally each year and hundreds of thousands more are helped by our site and social media education and resources.

We will not be able to maintain everything we currently do, plus continue growing and adding programs, if we do not have significantly more financial support soon.

Kimber MacGibbon, RN
Executive Director

The year also brought exciting growth in education, awareness, and policy that we want to continue into 2021:

• policy initiatives and engagement with influencers like the NIH and Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM).
• publication of new research on genetics and the HER Foundation severity tool, the HELP Score, as well as collaborative research the International Collaboration on HG’s study on HG research priorities
• exhibition and first time speaking at the SMFM conference, Dallas.
• speaking at the Gold Midwifery Conference.
• ongoing research in the areas of nutrition, genetics, HG severity assessment, and usage of the HG Care App.
• a totally redesigned and updated website that is mobile-friendly and includes interactive content to guide mothers in managing HG.
• additional translations of educational materials into Bhasa Malaysia, Indonesian, French, and Hebrew.
• partnership with Optum Healthcare for distribution of HER resources to clinics nationwide and continued growth of many projects listed in 2019.
• appearance in Amy Schumer’s Expecting Amy docuseries.
• a virtual 5K to connect the community and fundraise for the LED Crisis Fund.

With the 2020 CARES ACT, you can donate $300 and deduct it even if you don’t itemize your taxes? (aka an above the line charitable donation)

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Support another 20 years of helping mothers and babies thrive. The HER Foundation is the global voice and leader for HG research and education. Our work has resulted in over 30 studies published in medical journals, including the ground-breaking study that found the likely genetic cause of HG; neary 4,000 users of the HG Care App that allows families to log symptoms and assists doctors in providing the best care; and countless hours of engagement with doctors and insurance companies to improve the standards of care for HG sufferers.